


Later Is Now

by Deannie



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-05
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-02-07 13:22:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1900461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deannie/pseuds/Deannie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Actually, they <i>hadn't</i> said goodbye, which was part of the problem. Takes place after "New Order."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Later Is Now

Daniel sighed, the day catching up to him though he refused to relinquish his post as guardian and find a bunk of his own. At least Sam was safe, thank God. She was exhausted and way, _way_ too quiet, but she was breathing, and she'd managed a grin for them all.  


And then there was Jack.  


Daniel's lover had risen to the occasion, as always, and done what needed to be done, but the Ancients' knowledge must have taken more out of him this time, and Daniel watched carefully as Jack slept the sleep of the just while Thor's ship hurtled them through space toward home.  


They'd said goodbye. Again.  


Actually, they _hadn't_ said goodbye, which was part of the problem.  


Daniel remembered the scene vividly. Jack had revived after the Ancients' repository had downloaded itself into his brain, and had come into Daniel's office on base, fiddling with everything in reach, as usual. But this wasn't the usual visit, and they both knew it. This was, once again, the end. And this time, they could only save the world by refusing to save Jack O'Neill.  


"So," Jack began, blithe and seemingly unconcerned. "Find anything in those dusty books of yours?"  


Daniel was angry, and hiding it, which made him feel almost shrewish. "No. My 'dusty books' don't really cover Ancient respositories."  


Jack met his anger head on. "Shouldn't you get some new books?"  


That was it. "Damnit, Jack! Why did you do it?" He bit off the need to add "again," but Jack heard it, nonetheless. "We could have found another way."  


"With Anubis knocking on the door?" Jack countered easily. "I don't think so." He shrugged, picking up a small statue of Amun-Aknatun and turning it over and over in his hands.  


"Jack..." Daniel took a deep breath, reining in his emotions. "I don't think I can watch this happen again."  


"Well if you don't, then I did this for nothing, you know?"  


The reminder of Daniel's place in this made his anger flare again. "So it's _my_ fault?" he demanded meanly.  


"No," Jack replied, setting the statue back down and coming around the desk to stand too close to Daniel. "But it's your _job_ , Daniel." His voice dropped. "You kept me sane the last time."  


"For a while," Daniel allowed. He sniffed, brushing an errant tear away before meeting Jack's eyes. "It's going to kill me. Saying goodbye to you again."  


Jack snorted, that soft, sad smile on his face. "You sound like a Hallmark card." He waited until Daniel chuckled weakly in response. "Don't say goodbye, Daniel," he finally asked seriously, holding his lover's gaze. "Don't say goodbye."  


And in the end, Daniel hadn't. And he'd tried very hard to pretend that the farewell he'd translated, just before the stasis field swallowed Jack alive, was for Sam and Teal'C and not for him. Because he'd promised Jack he wouldn't say it to him, and it hurt like hell to hear it said at all.  


Jack grumbled in his sleep, turning over on the narrow plank that served as a bed on an Asgard ship, and somewhere, Daniel found a smile.  


It hadn't been goodbye after all, then. Just see you later.  


And  
the fact that later was now made it that much easier for Daniel to find  
the strength to leave his sleeping lover's side and find some rest  
himself.

* * *  
The End


End file.
